The Comfort Crisis
Embrace Discomfort to Reclaim Your Wild, Happy, Healthy Self
by Michael Easter
"If you've been looking for something different to level up your health, fitness, and personal growth, this is it." (Melissa Urban, Whole30 CEO and New York Times best-selling author)
Discover the evolutionary mind and body benefits of living at the edges of your comfort zone and reconnecting with the wild.
In many ways, we're more comfortable than ever before. But could our sheltered, temperature-controlled, overfed, underchallenged lives actually be the leading cause of many our most urgent physical and mental health issues? In this gripping investigation, award-winning journalist Michael Easter seeks out off-the-grid visionaries, disruptive genius researchers, and mind-body conditioning trailblazers who are unlocking the life-enhancing secrets of a counterintuitive solution: discomfort.
Easter's journey to understand our evolutionary need to be challenged takes him to meet the NBA's top exercise scientist, who uses an ancient Japanese practice to build championship athletes; to the mystical country of Bhutan, where an Oxford economist and Buddhist leader are showing the world what death can teach us about happiness; to the outdoor lab of a young neuroscientist who's found that nature tests our physical and mental endurance in ways that expand creativity while taming burnout and anxiety; to the remote Alaskan backcountry on a demanding 33-day hunting expedition to experience the rewilding secrets of one of the last rugged places on Earth; and more.
Along the way, Easter uncovers a blueprint for leveraging the power of discomfort that will dramatically improve our health and happiness, and perhaps even help us understand what it means to be human. The Comfort Crisis is a bold call to break out of your comfort zone and explore the wild within yourself.
Schedule
Three Thursdays at 8:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. CT.
Discussion Leader
Shawn Presley
Reading Schedule
March 7 - Part One
March 21 - Part Two and Part Three
April 4 - Part Four, Part Five, and Epilogue
About the author
Michael Easter is the author of The Comfort Crisis and Scarcity Brain. He's also a professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). He writes the 2% Newsletter, a popular newsletter on all aspects of health and wellness. He lives in Las Vegas on the edge of the desert with his wife and their two dogs. Learn more about him and sign up for the 2% newsletter at eastermichael.com.
Additional Resources
Website: https://eastermichael.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michael_easter/
Discussion
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TSL Book Club completed their last discussion on The Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter, which explores the detrimental effects of modern comfort on human health, happiness, and resilience. In Part Four and Part Five of the book, Easter delves deeper into the themes of thinking about death and carrying heavy burdens, shedding light on how embracing discomfort can lead to a more fulfilling life.
In Part Four, the group contemplated the importance of contemplating mortality to live a more meaningful and purposeful life. Easter argues that modern society’s obsession with comfort often leads people to avoid thinking about death, which ultimately disconnects them from the essence of life itself. Easter suggests that acknowledging the finite nature of life can inspire…
TSL Book Club: Exploring Boredom, Technology, Outdoors, Silence, Hunger, and Food Relationships in The Comfort Crisis Parts Two and Three
In a world saturated with comfort and convenience, Michael Easter's The Comfort Crisis serves as a poignant wake-up call, urging readers to confront the insidious consequences of modern comforts on our physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. Parts Two and Three of his book delve deep into themes of boredom, technology overload, the rejuvenating power of nature, the importance of silence, and the profound significance of hunger—both literal and metaphorical.
TSL Book Club delved into one of Easter's most pressing issues: the pervasive influence of technology and its detrimental effects on our ability to engage meaningfully with the world around us. In a…
What an exhilarating journey TSL Book Club embarked upon in Part One of Michael Easter's The Comfort Crisis! As we gathered last night to discuss this captivating section, I was in awe at the profound insights and transformative ideas presented by the members in attendance.
Part One of "The Comfort Crisis" serves as a wake-up call, shaking us from our complacency and challenging our deeply ingrained beliefs about comfort. The group discussed how our modern obsession with convenience and ease has dulled our senses and stifled our growth potential. Through a blend of science, personal anecdotes, and compelling storytelling, Easter paints a vivid portrait of a society adrift in a sea of comfort, disconnected from the raw, elemental forces that…
Bought the book.